The present invention relates to an electronic file management system used with the Internet and more particularly to a highly secured electronic file management system under which a plurality of users can supply data to a database server of an enterprise.
With the spread of communication through the Internet, many enterprises supply their Web sites to users for interactive communication with them. Interactive type Web pages are created as dynamic HTML documents using CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program. User writable Web pages are called forms. A user who browses Web pages with Web browser can write data at predetermined portions of forms or attach a file thereto and then click a send button to send the written data or the attached file to the Web server.
When the above-mentioned interactive Internet communication is employed for businesses, there arises a problem of data security. Particularly in case that an enterprise is supplied with information on parts or other materials, proposals for designs or the like by a plurality of enterprises that are in cooperation with it or whishing to trade with it, most of the information is confidential and therefore a great trouble would be caused if a hacker or the like should read the information and distribute it. Further, under such a risky situation, users are reluctant to supply data to the enterprise and accordingly it cannot timely obtain useful data.
As technologies used for security in Internet communication, there are firewall technology and encryption technology. Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 9-252323 describes a system in which a moving host is added to a system connecting a in-house network and the Internet via a firewall. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No.9-27804 describes a data packet encryption with which data packets are sent from a source host to a destination host.
FIG. 2 shows a general configuration of a conventional system which runs a Web site of an enterprise. An in-house system 30 is provided with an internal server 33 connected to an in-house network such as an intranet, so that many in-house users can access a data management server through browsers 32. The system 30 connects to a public Web server 22 in an external server 21 and communicates with it via a firewall 35. Personal computers 1 to n of a plurality of users can access the public Web server 22 via the Internet to access the Web site of the enterprise.
For example, when a user activates a browser in a personal computer 1 to access a Web site on the public Web server, writes data in its forms, attaches a file and clicks a send button, the data and the attached file are sent to CGI program in the public Web server and processed by predetermined programs. The data and attached file thus processed are transferred through the firewall 35 to the internal server 33 within the enterprise and then stored in a storage device. In-house users can access the internal server 33 using in-house terminals or personal computers 32 to access the data supplied by outside users.
In the above case, from a standpoint of security for the internal system of the enterprise, the public Web server connected to the Internet is installed outside the enterprise, so that outside users cannot access the internal system.
Further, in the above case, information that users or a plurality of companies in cooperation with the enterprise, supply to who give orders or the enterprise, is confidential to the companies in cooperation with the enterprise. Accordingly, the system should be designed in such a way that the confidentiality of information should be ensured and the consistency should be maintained between information stored in an internal server in the enterprise and that stored in a database of a Web server.
Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 11-219326 describes a file management system for sending and receiving electronic files using an intranet protected with a firewall and the Internet which can communicate with the intranet, wherein a master electronic file manager is placed on the Internet and a slave electronic file manager is placed on the intranet and when a user access the slave electronic file manager, it starts to send and receive electronic files and information for managing classification thereof.
However, the above conventional technique specifically relates to management of e-mail and is not directed to information exchanging between enterprises using HTTP protocol of the Internet.
In the above mentioned conventional system, there is a danger that the data which outside users have supplied to the system might be accessed in an unauthorized manner while they are stored in the storage device in the public Web server. Further, the outside users cannot pass through the firewall 35 and therefore they find it inconvenient that they are unable to correct the data that they have once supplied to the system. Accordingly, there exists the need for an electronic file management system with which sufficient security is ensured. Further, there exists the need for an electronic file management system which gives outside users flexibility of being able to correct data.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an electronic file management system according to the present invention is that comprising an external server installed in the outside and an internal server communicating with the external server wherein the external server comprises a public Web server which a browser can access via the Internet and a Web data management server which is connected to the public Web server via a firewall and the public Web server contains a Web site of an enterprise associated with the internal server, so that data which a browser accessing the Web site interactively sends to the public Web server, are sent to the Web data management server via the firewall.
According to the above invention, the external server is divided into the public Web server and the Web data management server, which connect to each other via the firewall. Data sent from a browser to the Web server are transferred to the Web data management server via the firewall. Thus, the firewall in the external server protects data supplied by outside users.
According to another aspect of the invention, the external server is connected to the internal server via a second firewall, so that the data stored in the Web data management server are sent to the internal server via the second firewall.
According to the above invention, higher security is established because data supplied from outside users are transferred to the internal server via the second firewall and an access from the outside to the internal server is subjected to the double firewalls.
According to another aspect, after having transferred the data received from the browser, to the Web data management server, the public Web server of the present invention is adapted to delete the data stored in the public Web server. Further, according to another aspect, after having transferred the data received from the browser, to the internal server, the Web data management server is adapted to delete the data stored in the Web data management server.
According to the above invention, data supplied by users, in the external server are deleted within a relatively short time and therefore a possibility that the data might be subjected to an unauthorized access from the outside, is reduced.
Further, according to another aspect of the invention, the public Web server is provided with a Web site of an enterprise, which includes a special-purpose page which users having a user ID and a user password issued by the enterprise, alone can browse, and data supplied by the users are sent to the public Web server using the special-purpose page. In addition, icons concerning businesses, already set to respective users, are displayed in the special-purpose page.
According to the above invention, outside users who supply data can be previously limited and therefore cases where too much useless information has to be handled, can be reduced.
According to another aspect of the invention, if the external server receives data normally, the external server issues a data ID unique to the file of the data, stores the data ID in a historical database. When a request to withdraw or replace the data specified by the data ID is sent from the browser to the external server, the external server compares the data ID with that in the historical database and when both of them agree with each other, the external server withdraws or replaces the file.
According to another aspect of the invention, on issuing the data ID, the external server issues a data password associated with the data ID and stores the data password in the historical database, in association with the data ID. In this case, withdrawal or replacement of a file, requested by the user, is executed when a data ID and a data password sent from the user agree with those stored in the historical database.
According to the above embodiment, outside users are given flexibility of being able to withdraw or replace the data that they previously supplied and therefore they can keep the data in the best state.
According to another aspect of the invention, at first the in-house data management server temporally stores the data from the external server in a receiving database, and then transfers the data to a data storing database after a certain time has lapsed or after a certain amount of data have been stored in the receiving database.
By virtue of the above aspect, number of changes or indexing of the data storing database that in-house users access, can be reduced, so that cases where the data storing database cannot be accessed or some of its functions are limited, can be reduced.
Further, there exists the need for a secured as well as convenient system for information exchanging between enterprises using the Internet.
A system according to the present invention is an electronic file management system provided with an internal server communicating via a firewall with an external server installed in the outside, the electronic file management system comprising a public Web server placed in the external server and connected to the Internet, a shared database placed in the external server, which users can access by way of the Internet through authentication and an internal database placed in the internal server, which corresponds to the shared database, wherein the shared database and the internal database are configured to match each other, based on information on changes in the internal database.
Since the external server that users access and the internal server are connected via the firewall, security of the internal server is maintained and consistency is kept between the shared database placed in the external server and the internal database related to the internal server. Accordingly, users can easily access the shared database, contents of which are the same with those of the internal database.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the external server and the internal server are connected by a private line and accesses of the users to the shared database are limited by authentication using a user ID and a user password. Accordingly, the internal server is more highly secured.